A Perfect Rose
by indelirium
Summary: Rose and Kakashi get intimately close. Kakashi self sabotages and ruins it.
1. Chapter 1

Rose had the biggest, silliest crush on her friend's teacher.

When Sakura first introduced Kakashi to Rose, it was randomly while on a walk to get some lunch. They had stopped by Ichiraku Ramen, a place Sakura had said she visited way too often. But it was a cold day and a warm bowl of ramen had sounded like the best thing. The man was just leaving when they had arrived. While he and Sakura chatted, Rose was distracted by his white hair and the one eye she could see.

Rose was always interested in how ninja dressed. But this guy was almost covered from head to toe. He was polite, older, and when Sakura introduced Rose he called her pretty. Sakura had tried to punch him. Rose was flattered. From then on, the very short moments they had together Rose always enjoyed. He was sarcastic, honest, but also very sweet. He had a lazy way of communicating and was often late to meetings. Rose fell for him immediately.

Whenever Kakashi was around Rose found she couldn't help herself and always ended up following him with her eyes. This allowed her to catch the moments he probably thought no one saw. Like moving quickly to adjust someone's seat, moments before they sat, so that the person wouldn't fall on their behind.

Or rubbing the back of someone who was coughing.

There was this one-time Kakashi had grabbed the collar of his student's shirt, Naruto – who Rose had met after having known Kakashi for a few weeks. The blonde proceeded to whine that Kakashi was abusive. Except the blonde hadn't realized that the doors they were walking by was about to slam into him, and probably take off one of his toes.

Rose, being one of the Hokage's assistants, usually caught Kakashi slipping out of the Hokage's office. Every time he would just smile at her, or at least she assumed he was smiling from the crinkle of his eye, and with a quick wave to him she would then pretend to not see him as he escaped Tsunade's wrath.

Kakashi was always doing little or weird acts like this, but Rose could see plainly the love he had for his friends, students, his village.

After almost a year living in the Village Hidden in the Leaves Rose and Kakashi had a budding friendship, and sometimes they would even have lunch together. So, Rose knew that finding Kakashi around Konoha staring at nothing was not a rare occurrence. Kakashi always seemed to live in his own world, especially when he was alone. What was different this time around was how much angrier his gaze seemed. Rose knew something was going in his head, and it wasn't good.

O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O

Nothing lasts forever.

It was the cold hard truth Kakashi had come to terms with. Time and time again.

Yet every time something comes to an end he is never prepared for it. The loss leaves him more broken and hallow on the inside each time. His life was jaded, an effect of all the loss and sadness. Although his life was filled again with meaningful people he loved very much, there were moments, like this moment, where Kakashi was afraid to go onto to the next day for fear of losing someone precious.

"Kakashi." The quiet call of his name pulled him out of his depressing thoughts. He glanced up from his cold bowl of soup. Rose smiled shyly down at him. He motioned for his friend to sit and she quickly took his invitation and sat, placing a quick hand on his shoulder in greeting. "You're okay?" Rose was always very good at reading people. She wasn't much good for many things like cooking and fighting and cleaning. But she was skilled at the thing Kakashi thought was most important. People.

"Just pondering."

Rose smiled softly at him with a tilt of her head, a smile that meant it's more than that but I won't push. It was a smile that made it difficult not to open up to Rose. Her presence demanded that of you. To open up and share your weight with her, and let her comfort you and say things were okay. He'd seen her do it a thousand times for his students and her friends. Yet every time she was sincere about it, and she never complained. Strangely, she never needed the comforting. Kakashi wondered if she had it so lucky that this world looked fondly upon her and made sure her days were as painless as they could be. It wouldn't be a far reach. Rose was someone the world could do no harm to. She was faultless to Kakashi, and to everyone. He couldn't believe there existed such a person that could hate her.

"It's quiet depressing, actually."

"You don't want to tell me?"

"It's my best friend's death anniversary. Or rather, his second death anniversary. He has two."

Rose's brows furrowed in confusion but she didn't question it and instead looked appropriately sad for him. "Oh. Sorry."

"You did nothing."

Rose placed her hand over his for a quick moment. Her hand was warm enough that Kakashi felt it through his gloves. "I feel bad that you're in pain."

"You pity me?"

"I'm sorry I can't do anything to help." She corrected softly.

This made Kakashi smile the slightest under his mask. She had no obligation to feel anything for him. Yet there she was. Her gesture and words warmed Kakashi's cold heart.

"It's okay." She then said. "You won't always be sad."

Kakashi leaned back in his seat. "You are right about that."

Kakashi wasn't so sad now that Rose was here.


	2. Chapter 2

Rose stared down at her work. Her desk was located across the hall from the Hokage's office. She sat across from another assistant who was situated around the corner just before turning into the hallway where the office was located. The poor girl had gray hairs despite her young age as she was the one who dealt with all the visitors.

Rose sighed at the papers in front of her. Tsunade once again blew through most of her allowance on alcohol and gambling and had tried to dip into the funds of the village. Now she had to run around later today to cancel any orders Tsunade had put out before they started sending in their checks. Rose hated confronting people about money. But she was certainly getting good at it. It now became sort of a ritual that in the last week of the month, when Tsunade was almost out of money, that she would spend money that was not hers and Rose had to fix it.

Rose looked up when a shadow fell across her desk. Kakashi waved a hand to her, and with a smile Ros reached out to place a quick hand on his arm in greeting. "Escaping again?"

"More like surviving."

Rose laughed. She could already feel how warm she was becoming having Kakashi there. These days Rose just had to think about him to become a mess of emotions. It was like being a teenager. She would curl her toes and get restless. Like now, Rose had picked up her pen again and started tapping it on the back of her hand.

"What did you do this time?" Rose looked down at Kakashi's chin, as she found it hard to keep eye contact with him or else she felt she would melt in her seat. Even with just his one eye!

"I never do anything." Kakashi defended himself. "However, she doesn't appreciate my attempt at bettering this village."

"Like?"

"Free alcohol." Kakashi stopped to look at Rose, who had pulled a face that said she agreed with Tsunade. "For shinobi, aged 30 and over. With white hair."

Rose snickered, looking into Kakashi's eye briefly. "That is a stupid law."

"I think it's a fair law."

Rose laughed again, louder, at how jilted he sounded. "Imagine everyone over 30 starts painting their hair white?"

Kakashi chuckled along with her, the skin around his one shown eye crinkling with his hidden smile.

"Where is Kakashi!?"

Rose jumped a little at the loud yell, as did the other assistant. With a wave Kakashi said, "That's my cue." and he was gone.

O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O

Kakashi couldn't believe his eyes.

Rose was standing a few feet away from him dressed in a silk dress. It was a dark pine green color that showed off her darker skin tone. Her brown hair was braided away from her face, and made her seem more youthful then she already did.

What exactly was Rose doing dressed so nicely at a bar? She looked so out of place, and it looked like she knew that with how she was darting her eyes around and trying to make herself seem small.

There was no way she could ever accomplish that. She drew people's attention whether she wanted to or not. She was speaking to the bartender, who made it clear that he was enjoying Rose's choice of clothing. Rose kept trying to whack his head every so often, and didn't look at all pleased by the attention.

Kakashi grabbed his glass of liquor and made his way over to her. He reached her in time to catch the end of her sentence as she spoke to the bartender, "... tell her I'm going home early."

"Sure thing, sweetheart. Get there safely."

Rose picked up her small purse and made to get up from her seat until she saw Kakashi. Kakashi gave her a little wave. She looked surprised for a moment, but then she smiled like seeing Kakashi was such a pleasure and waved back. She sat back down when he took a seat beside her, placing a quick hand on his arm in greeting like she always did.

"Hi Rose."

"Hey."

"What are you doing here?"

Rose's gaze flickered to the door the bartender disappeared to, and then down to her lap. Kakashi followed her gaze and ended up staring at how her dress was split in a way, that, if she didn't have her purse over the tops of her thighs he might have been too distracted to hear her next words.

"This is where my cousin works. The one I live with, that I've mentioned."

"Oh, I remember."

Kakashi took a sip of his drink when Rose glanced around the bar, and focused on the burn that traveled down his throat and settled warmly into his stomach. He occupied his sight with the nicks and engravings on the wooden counter, his finger dancing across the table. Some he recognized were Naruto's, and others Sakura when she got a little too tipsy. There was a slightly charred spot when Sasuke had almost burned the place down with his Chidori. "She worries for you? That you have to go home early?"

Rose's face was colored a slight pink. "Oh, it's stupid."

"Tell me." Rose bit down on her index finger, an anxious but also contemplative look on her face. It was a cute gesture she made often when she was faced with any sort of decision. He knew she avoided moments where she had to make one. Right now it seemed a part of her wanted to tell him, but also rather keep it to herself.

"Okay. Well, my cousin set me up on a date. I told her not to, but I didn't want the guy to end up waiting for me to never show up. So, I showed up so he wouldn't be mad at her." Of course, she did. Only Rose would do such a thing. Anyone like Sakura or Ino would simply not show.

"It didn't last long." Kakashi said, noting it was only 8 PM. He was glad it didn't last long. It was ridiculous to feel that way, but he couldn't help the disappointed feeling that she was even out on a date.

"He was very old fashioned. Said something about how, if we dated, I would never have to work and that all I needed to do was cook and clean like I was supposed to." Kakashi watched in amusement as Rose's fist clenched and she glared at the counter. Her lips were pulled back in disgust. "I almost punched him."

Kakashi smiled at the rare spout of anger. He wondered how she looked when she was furious... sad... crying... moaning in pleasure. Kakashi cleared his throat and said "He would've deserved it. Of our strongest fighters in Konoha many are kunoichi. Our Hokage being one. They don't belong anywhere they don't want to belong."

Rose's looked at Kakashi and her face brightened with her smile, "I'm glad you think this way. Or else I couldn't be your friend anymore."

"I'm a forward-thinking man. I'm loved for it." Kakashi drawled.

"I'm sure you are. You're very lovable." Rose grinned and made to his pinch his cheek. Kakashi acted before he could think, and snatched her wrist up. He held her hand safely away from his face. Rose gasped at the suddenness of the moment and quickly tried to pull her hand back but Kakashi held onto it. He immediately regretted his impulsiveness.

"I'm sorry, Rose." He felt a little bad that she might have taken his sudden action the wrong way. "It was instinct."

The miffed look on her face was replaced with one of understanding. "Right, your mask." She stretched her fingers and they grazed his mask slightly "I'm sorry, too." She added.

"Don't be sorry." Kakashi leaned in slightly so he could feel the touch of her fingers. They pressed against his nose, then his cheeks. Kakashi felt her fingers shake when they found his lips. He looked at her and saw she was turning redder than he had ever seen her. It was a beautiful pink color on her skin, and Kakashi would have to be blind to not see Rose's attraction for him. It gave Kakashi the confidence to press a kiss against the back of her fingers.

Rose smiled behind her hand not currently being held by Kakashi, causing her purse to slip off her lap. He caught it with his other hand and placed it back on her lap. But not without seeing how the slit of her dress fell open and exposed her curvy thigh. Kakashi let Rose's other hand fall so she could she adjust her purse and her dress. While she did that he downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, wincing against the harsh burn of it.

"Your dress is very..."

Kakashi left it at that, and instead thought about Rose… and him.

He always had suspicions she might be attracted to him. Rose's skin always turned a shade of pink if he stared at her a little too long, and she couldn't keep eye contact with him for more than a few seconds. Kakashi had yet to see her act this way with anyone else. Not with Naruto, or Sai, or even Sakura if she swung for that team. Her feelings had been obvious, but she never spoke on them or revealed them. So Kakashi was stuck between thinking she possibly had feelings for him or that she just admired him as Sakura's Sensei.

Kakashi was attracted to her in every way; she had a beautiful heart. If she returned some of feelings he had for her he counted himself to be an insanely lucky man. But he had thought that to be too lucky for someone like him, and settled into thinking that Rose thought highly of him.

Except tonight he saw some of those feelings be reciprocated.

He was used to the attention he often received from women, as they were all curious to see what was under his mask. And when they saw him, well, Kakashi had to admit he wasn't exactly unpleasant to look at. But the fact was that, because it was Rose, Kakashi was flattered and pleased. Appeal is subjective, and if she ever saw what was under his mask, he wanted her to find him pleasing to look at. He didn't care much for what any other women thought of him.

"Rose! I thought you left."

Their attention was drawn away from each other and towards a brunette who was balancing a tray of empty glasses. She had the same darker skin tone as Rose and her same brown hair, except it was long and hit her waist. Rose's hair was to her shoulders. "I am, I will. Soon."

The brunette looked to Kakashi and then back at Rose with a sly smile.

"Oh, _I see_. It's okay Rosie, take your time..."

"Kei!" Rose warned, looking quickly to Kakashi. He was quiet but watched them interact with interest. This was apparently Rose's cousin. "I'll be going now, I'll see you at home."

"Or don't come home."

Rose made a sound of exasperation.

Kei grinned and started arranging the glass cups behind the counter.

"I'll walk you home." Kakashi offered, not quite ready to part from Rose.

"You don't have to, you were having a drink and I interrupted your night." Rose stood up and smoothed her dress out. Kakashi took note of all the gazes she drew in the bar.

"Wow Rose, if we weren't related I would so date you." Kei whistled, causing Rose to try and cover her body with her arms.

"Kei! Gross and _hush_. You're embarrassing me."

Kei laughed as Rose waved halfheartedly and started walking away. Kakashi followed behind Rose, nodding a goodbye to her relative.


	3. Chapter 3

"Thanks for walking me home. You didn't have to." Rose told Kakashi as they walked side by side away from the bar.

"It's my pleasure. I didn't want to part with you so early."

Rose tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She looked like she was trying to fight a big smile.

"Same. I just couldn't stay there much longer. My cousin is embarrassing."

"She has your best interests at heart."

"She does... " They fell into a comfortable silence. Kakashi stuffed his hands into the pocket of his trousers. He thought about inviting Rose to his home, which was a lot closer to them than her home. He had noticed the heels she was wearing and although they were pretty on her feet they looked to be painful to walk in for a long period of time. Not that Kakashi was pretending he didn't want her in his apartment for the mere chance to do something more than just talk. "I have a question." Rose spoke up. Kakashi looked to her and saw she was biting her finger.

"Ask away."

"Why do you wear a mask?"

Kakashi's step faltered, but he moved to walk closer to Rose.

"Do you want to see me under this mask?"

"I'm curious, so yes."

"And if I said no?"

"That's also fine. Your face, your mask." Rose beamed and poked his cheek. This time he didn't grab her, Rose was someone who respected boundaries and Kakashi knew this now.

"Well. It started with my wanting to become a ninja, like many."

"Oh, you're going to tell me?"

"No. I just decided to talk about my past."

"Ha. Ha. Keep retelling." Rose shoved his shoulder playfully, but too soft for it to do anything.

"I had this concept of them being mysterious, always wearing black. As a child I used to don masks like ones from the picture books I used to read." Kakashi could barely picture those times when he was young and innocent. He was so old now. "Those ninjas were very heroic and cool to my fledgling eyes." He cleared his throat, "My father did something. It's a story for another time. However, it affected me." Rose frowned sadly, like she knew what Kakashi's father had done. She didn't, but Kakashi knew she had come up with some conclusion that was not far off from what really happened. "I hid behind my mask. Like a barrier, it protected me. It was a silly thing-"

"Don't say that." Rose chastised him. "It wasn't silly to you, was it? To hide behind your mask?"

"No." Kakashi self-confessed.

"Then don't say it was. We all do things differently to protect ourselves from the world."

"Yes." Kakashi agreed. He relaxed and continued telling his story.

"I hated when people saw me and saw my father." He admitted. "They continued to tell me I looked just like him. So, I wore the mask whenever I left home." Kakashi hadn't even shared this much with Gai. "However... after sometime it became uncomfortable to even be at home without the mask on. I couldn't... look myself in the mirror and not see my father."

He spoke truthfully, and as he spoke there was a slight sting in his chest at the memory. He was surprised he could say this so easily, but Rose was the one listening to him, and she was a great listener. He didn't feel ridiculous telling her how he had truly felt then. There was no sign of her reacting in a way that said she found his story ridiculous. Rose's affect was truly difficult to defy.

"Anyways, at this point I've lived too long hiding behind this mask, it's a second skin to me. Its more comfortable having it on then off."

"I didn't realize it was more than just a style." Rose's lips curved into a small smile, "I'm happy you told me. I feel like not many people know this about your mask."

"Actually, you're the only one that knows this much."

Rose's head jerked back in surprise, but then her face changed into an expression of delight and appreciation. Before she could say something Kakashi saw his complex building a few feet away and slipped his hand around Rose's elbow to stop her walk. Her braid was falling apart, and her hair blew in the wind. If Kakashi could capture this moment in a photograph... In fact, he wanted a photograph for every moment he was with Rose. Call him a romantic.

"My place is right here if you want to take a break." He looked pointedly to her feet. Rose glanced down at them and shrugged.

"I'm not in pain."

Kakashi nodded, a little disappointed in her answer. Well, a lot disappointed. He let go of her elbow and started walking again. But just as he was passing by the front of his apartment complex he felt Rose grab his elbow and pull him to a stop. He looked back and saw her her gather up some courage by taking in a deep breath. She laughed uneasily when she noticed him watching. He turned to face his body to her.

"If you want... or if you don't mind... We can stop by your place… If you want to! We don't have to." Rose was certainly someone who never took initiative in expressing what she wanted.

"For what?" Kakashi asked. He was being a jerk, but he wanted to hear from Rose clearly why she had the sudden change in mind. Although he knew why.

"I mean, well, to rest my feet for a moment." She said, waving a hand around.

"You just said you weren't in any pain." Kakashi pointed out. Rose's nose scrunched up and she shrugged. "Is there another reason you would like to come up?" Kakashi pressed.

Rose let him go and waved her hands in the hair. "What? No!"

Kakashi boldly placed a hand on her waist and dug his thumb into her side. Rose jerked and shied away from the touch. "Stop it, it tickles." She whined. "Anyways, I don't want to bother you." She said hastily. "I can walk home myself from here." Kakashi gripped the material of her dress harder when she tried to move. Rose couldn't meet his stare and settled for gazing at his chin.

"You won't be a bother."

Rose lowered her head more and shrugged again.

"Rose."

She looked up at him at the quiet call of her name, and stumbled back when Kakashi swooped down to press his masked lips against hers. His free hand flattened against her back to steady her, the other uncurling against her hip before traveling up her side and settling on the small of her back.

O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O

Rose had a million things going on in her head, but one thing kept to the front of her head. Kissing someone over their mask is a lot sexier than she thought. More specifically, kissing Kakashi over his mask was sexy. She was sure no one can kiss her with a mask on and she would enjoy it lest they be Kakashi himself. The softness of it against her mouth, the warmth of Kakashi's lips, and knowing that their lips were not quiet touching but they were... Rose had to pull away to take in a deep breath and calm her jittering nerves.

Kakashi was quiet as she moved her hands away from his chest and put it on her chest. Her heart was beating loud and quickly against her palms. Kakashi didn't move his hands away and started rubbing her back slowly, the other picking at her dress lower on her back. Rose wasn't someone who expressed her feelings as much as she wanted, as she always feared that the person would not reciprocate, but Kakashi had kissed her first. His proximity and how lovingly he was touching her body right now also helped to instill some courage in her. If Rose was brave she would have told Kakashi a long time ago how she felt. However, she had waited all this time and most of that time she was sure it was a one-sided crush but Kakashi was here...

Rose closed her eyes tightly and kissed him again.

His arms wrapped around her tightly so she was pressed against him, forcing her to tilt her head up to keep their lips attached. Her hands were crushed between their bodies, but she was able to grasp onto a small piece of his plain shirt. The kiss was short and sweet, but Rose was buzzing and her body was heating up and she didn't want to end the night with him so early. Or at all.

"Do you still want to come upstairs?"

"Yes," Rose replied a little too quickly. She leaned to the side in embarrassment for being too eager, Kakashi's grip loosening slightly to give her more room to move but not enough to let her fall.

"Why?"

Rose groaned and tried to hide her face by looking away.

"What do you want me to say?" She whined, stretching out her words childishly.

"I just want to hear you say it. What you really want. I want to hear it."

Rose didn't want to say that at all. It was embarrassing. It was difficult to be so open in the beginning. Rose only had one other relationship and it had taken her at least a few months to get comfortable with saying such things. "I want to go upstairs." She said instead.

"Because?"

"I want to kiss you some more?"

It wasn't difficult to know Kakashi was sporting a look of dismay behind his mask.

"If you just want to kiss me we can do that right here." He shrugged. Rose freed her hands from between their bodies and wrapped them around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulders so she could quietly say "I want to..." Kakashi leaned in closer but her grip on him tightened and she buried her face into his neck in embarrassment.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" He asked her quietly.

Rose nodded.

"Do you want me to touch you?" He murmured.

Rose wanted to melt. Oh, how she wished she could record that sentence and listen to it a million times over. She didn't move for a moment but then nodded.

Rose felt the quick beating of Kakashi's heart against her chest. Was she doing that to him? Was she affecting him this way? Rose pulled away so she could look into Kakashi's eye. It was unfocused, but it quickly fixated on her when she popped into its peripheral.

Kakashi looked away from her for a moment. When his gaze returned to her she asked quietly, "What do you want to do with me?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment, but Rose could see the bit of his cheek that wasn't hidden was slightly pink. She was going to point it out to tease him back but was cut off by her own squeak when Kakashi suddenly turned her around by the shoulders and led her into his apartment complex.


	4. Chapter 4

When Kakashi closed his apartment door he turned around to find Rose staring at him. He stepped out of his sandals, Rose's heels already there as she had shucked them off the second they entered. Rose was in the middle of undoing her braid, and because of the braid her hair fell in waves to her shoulders. She started looking around his place curiously, but stayed put. Kakashi didn't bother turning the light on. He wasted no time and swooped in, wrapping his arms around Rose's shoulders and walking her back into his bedroom.

Rose stumbled back but was gripping tight onto the back if his shirt so she wouldn't fall. When the back of her knees hit what was the edge of his bed she let herself fall onto it, then scooted back so her feet were dangling over the edge. Kakashi took a step back and stared at her. He couldn't believe he had a Rose in his bed. In his bedroom. In his home. She looked so beautiful just sitting there, so out of place, a perfect rose in such a dull place. She made the room seem less uninspiring simply by being there.

Kakashi stood in front of her, towering over her and seemingly in control of himself. Except when Rose looked up and reached for him with a hand, he set his knees quickly on the bed, one on either side of her, and placed his face in her hand tamely. He closed his eye when she started an ambush of sweet kisses over his mask. A moment later she pushed his head band away till it plopped onto the bed.

There was a moment of nothing and Kakashi opened both his eyes. Rose stared into them, one his own dark eye and the other red. She had a mixed look of surprise, curiosity, and a little fear. She was silent for a moment, but whatever she was feeling vanished from her eyes and in its place, was something intense and unadulterated. Her other hand brushed away the hair that was falling over his forehead, and she leaned in to press a light kiss on both his eye lids.

Her hand slipped around his head, and she burrowed her fingers into his white hair. Kakashi dragged his mask down and Rose was quick to push him into a kiss that was less sweet and more... sensual.

Kakashi followed her down when she fell back onto the bed, and started kneading her body through the silk of her dress as she parted her lips. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, coaxing her tongue to play and Rose made a quiet whining sound deep in her throat.

Maybe this was wrong, Kakashi suddenly thought. Someone so perfect like his Rose needed someone just as perfect as her. Someone who wasn't carrying around years of guilt and depression. Someone less cruel and more guileless. Sex with her shouldn't come after a short night at a bar after drinking disgusting hard liquor, but rather from a romantic dinner with nice wine and good food.

What was he thinking, that he could have her tonight and then what...

Kakashi felt Rose bite his bottom lip softly, playfully, kicking her feet and bringing his attention back to her.

Kakashi groaned a little at that. She was being so seductive, running her hands slowly over his body, pressing her fingers into whatever exposed skin she could find by pushing aside his clothing here and there, making quiet desperate sounds.

Fuck it.

Rose was here, wanting and willing. Kakashi was not going to rob himself of this miraculous moment.

This was a dream. She was a dream.

His arms that were holding him up to above Rose collapsed, and his full weight fell on top of her. Rose groaned underneath him. He was shaking just the slightest, because that was the effect she had on him. He tried to rise but Rose wrapped her legs around his hips tightly to keep him from moving. He looked down at her face and the red of her cheeks and how she was biting her lip as if to keep herself quiet. Her fingers traced shapes on his arms and he could feel the quick thrumming of her heart against his chest.

Kakashi grabbed the flesh of her bare thighs and thrust his hips forward, pressing himself against the heat between her legs. Rose tried to catch the moan that escaped. It was a desperate low sound, and Kakashi could feel the heat of a blush on his face that he was able to make Rose sound that way, and see her like this in such a way that maybe he was dreaming.

Kakashi prayed to never wake up if that was the case.


	5. Chapter 5

Kakashi woke slowly. Usually he woke up on his back with his arms crossed and resting on his chest, because that was the way he always fell asleep; he never moved in his sleep. This morning he woke up on his stomach, one arm tucked under his pillow and the other outstretched, wrapped around the sleeping form of Rose.

Kakashi stilled, and watched for a few moments the slight rise and fall or her shoulders with her every deep breath. Her back was facing him and he saw that sometime in the night she had tied her brown locks back and into a bun.

This morning his heart didn't know whether to beat incredibly slow or incredibly fast, and so he was stuck with a weird tense feeling in his chest. Except that tense feeling was content, and it sucked that Kakashi felt this emotion so little it almost felt uncomfortable.

Kakashi lifted himself onto his elbow not currently around Rose, and leaned in to press his smile against the back of her neck. Rose, who he admired for being so loving and respected for being few to look at everyone and see beneath their exterior, was returning his affections. It was too good to be true, but it was and Kakashi didn't know what to do with himself.

He wanted to keep holding her, or to wake her up and talk to her, or even just lay there and stare at her back for the rest of the morning.

He kissed her neck, pulling his other hand from where it was tucked between the bed and her warm body, and withdrew his arm. He sat up and leaned over her body, wanting to see her face.

Rose had fallen asleep with her lips closed, so she had made no noise at first; but she was a mouth breather in her sleep, snoring quietly as long as her lips were apart. Her lips were dry from breathing through her mouth, and her arms were crossed over what Kakashi discovered were very generous breasts- much to his pervert dissatisfaction.

He leaned against her and kissed her cheek, her jaw, her shoulder. He rubbed a hand over her arm, then slipped it under the covers so he could rub her hips. He was obsessed over how incredibly soft her plump body was. Most Kunoichi had hard, lithe bodies from years of violence and fighting enemies. Most of the women Kakashi bedded were Konoichi. The rest were models, actresses, and such women who needed to maintain their slim figures.

People always said Kakashi chose the prettiest of women, but the fact was that Kakashi never sought out a specific type. He lived in the shinobi world and therefore hadn't imagined himself falling for someone who didn't spend most of their time away from home. He never thought about romance or even just having sex with someone from Konoha because... Konoha was his place to protect, not to find love. Not when he had lost so much in Konoha.

He had lost important people in life, one by one. His father... Obito... Rin... Minato...

And suddenly Kakashi's great mood was gone, and replaced was the familiar weight in his chest.

Soon Kakashi was going through a long list of his dear lost friends and family.

It always started this way, his downward spiral into guilt and self-hate, thinking about the people that could have been here.

People who never had the chance, and would never have the chance, to find meaning in their life, wherever it might have come from. What their future could have been like if it wasn't for Kakashi.

Here he was, enjoying life the way they all should have.

Kakashi was meant to be alone. How could he find love when those people who are dead can not have that chance? Kakashi had difficulty avoiding the immense guilt of it all. They all deserved to survive, in place of Kakashi. Yet, somehow, he had survived through it all. It was almost like a sick joke the world had going on him. Survive yet see everything and everyone die around him.

He had even touched death, and still...

Kakashi felt goosebumps rise along Rose's skin, and he pulled the blankets up and tucked them around her tightly before moving to swing his legs off the bed and lean his elbows on his knees.

He dropped his head into his hands, rubbing them over his face and hair. The feeling of his smooth face against his palms was a strange one. He sighed heavily and turned to look at Rose's back again.

He was not going to let himself hurt Rose by bringing to her life his baggage. His unluckiness. She would suffer. His life was uninteresting, tedious, filled with repentance. His life was a shinobi's- where being a shinobi meant experiencing more loss than others, and he did- has, for so long.

He couldn't imagine bringing Rose into that kind of life, where she would learn one of her friends had suddenly been killed, and it would not be an uncommon occurrence. She was a civilian whose life expectancy was, by default, twice of a shinobi's. To burden her with the worry that he could die on any mission would be terrible.

It won't work.

It was better that it didn't.


	6. Chapter 6

When Rose woke up, she closed her eyes and tried to fall back asleep. It was a habit she had since when she was young, and one she never tried to quit. It didn't hurt to get a little extra shut eye. For a few minutes she lay still like that, yawning and wiping away the tired tears that escaped from it. With the sun glaring through the curtains and brightening up the room Rose was finding it difficult to fall back asleep. This wasn't her room where as long the curtains were drawn closed it was as dark as night.

Rose yawned again, and moved around in the bed to stretch herself out, toes pointed out and arms stretched to the ceiling. She was tall enough that her feet slid out from under the blankets. She had to cut her stretch short as her body ached in places that haven't ached in a long time. She kicked her feet back under the covers, and with one hand holding the blanket tight against her chest she rubbed her eyes awake with the other hand.

With all that had happened the night before, Rose had only a very short glimpse of Kakashi's place of living.

She remembered from her short glimpses last night that when walking in the closest thing to her was to her left and it was a small dining area, and that the kitchen was simply a fridge and stove and a few cupboards pushed against that left wall. To her right was the door that Kakashi had pushed her through, his bedroom. The rest of the apartment was pretty bare, she hadn't seen much else and assumed the bathroom was the door she saw next to the bathroom.

Rose hadn't expected his place to be much, but even that was expecting too much. It was clear this place held no meaning to Kakashi. Unlike Rose's home that was filled with pictures and shelves and memories. Kakashi's apartment told her that he kept everything shut away into himself, and that it was simply a place for him to stay off the streets.

His bed room had a little more going for it, his sheets were a dark green color and there was a wardrobe in the corner and a dresser beside it. Rose turned around and saw that his curtains were white.

She noticed Kakashi was nowhere in sight.

Rose held the blanket tight around her body as she got up and started picking her clothing off the floor. She moved around slowly, avoiding movements that caused her to ache too much.

She wondered if Kakashi was busy today or was called away. Or maybe he was someone who didn't like sleeping in. Although, that was what she imagined him doing whenever he was late to someplace.

She laid her wrinkled dress on the bed and slipped on her underwear and bra. She bundled the blanket up and tossed it on the bed, before taking a seat next to it. She stayed silent and the home echoed her. She was alone. It made Rose feel sad. Call her silly but she had wanted to wake up and see Kakashi there, next to her. She wanted to hold him, and kiss him good morning. She was in his bedroom and yet she was missing him.

Maybe he left a note somewhere.

Rose slipped her dress on and left the bedroom.

When she opened the door she hadn't expected to see Kakashi sitting on the dining table, which was directly in front of the bedroom door.

Rose made a weird sound that sounded both like a gasp and a garbled mess of words. She slapped a hand over her mouth at the silly sound and laughed. Although Kakashi's mask was back on his face she could see his eyes move in such a way she knew he was smiling.

"Morning!" She tried not to but it came out with a giggle. She saw that Kakashi couldn't help the short chuckle that escaped him. Rose's mood was lifted the moment she heard it. She grinned and hurried over to the table while he placed the scroll he was reading down. She admired in the moments it took her to reach him how handsome he was even with half his face covered. Although his hair was a very odd color, it suited him. His body was beautiful, too. Long and lithe, trained to be hard and tough through years of his occupation as a ninja. It was all the things she always noticed about him. Except every time she learned something new about him or got a little bit closer to him he always seemed that much more beautiful to look at. So this morning, after last night's events, Rose was looking at Kakashi through some seriously pink tinted lenses.

"What time is it?" Rose asked. She stopped right in front of him and was reaching for his shoulder with a hand. But before she could touch him he grabbed her hand, and held onto it. Her fingers curled around his thumb, and she tugged on it softly.

Kakashi didn't say anything, and Rose quickly picked up on the troubled look in his mismatched eyes. It made her nervous because a part of her didn't want last night to be the only night between them. Rose was usually quick to become pessimistic and think the worst will happen. But like she always did she just had push aside her insecurities and trust that Kakashi and her were on the same page.

"What's wrong?"

"... I think what we did last night was a mistake."

O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O

Kakashi painfully watched Rose process his words. At first she seemed confused, then a moment later he saw her eyes well up with tears, but her facial expressions didn't mirror the sadness in her eyes and instead she smiled like she understood where he was coming from. Except he doubted she did, and that she was simply putting on a mask.

"I see..." Kakashi wanted to keep holding Rose's hand but she took it back.

He watched her stare blankly at the table, her body suddenly showing signs that she felt incredibly awkward. Her hands moved around like she wanted to say something and one of her feet stomped quietly like she wanted to start running.

"Rose-"

"I get it." She said cheerfully, yet refusing to meet his gaze. "I mean- I'm not mad, if that's what you think. I can't be mad just because you don't want anything to do with me."

Kakashi grimaced at her choice of words.

"And I wanted last night to happen because I really like you. Even just one night with you is a happy thing to me. But I understand we want different things. You don't have to regret anything."

"I don't regret it. I'm just not ready to commit to something."

Rose smiled, although it lacked her usual happiness and brightness. It was lackluster and filled with sadness. "I get it..." she said, voice wavering just the slightest. She coughed and said more confidently, "I don't regret it, either."

When she met his gaze he was hit with an instant feeling of regret and he suddenly wanted to take back what he had said. But he kept quiet because that other part of him that knew this was for the best was bigger. So he quietly watched her move away, her shoulders sagging down. She retrieved her purse from where it hung in the entrance and start putting on her heels.

"You can borrow anything you'd like, Rose. A sweater, some sandals..." He didn't want her to go out dressed in the same clothing as the night before. His neighbors, and a lot of Konoha, were quick to judge- they hadn't learned their lesson with Naruto about keeping their more hurtful opinions to themselves.

"No, it's fine. Thank you, though." She declined politely.

Kakashi could already hear, and feel, the distance she was creating between them. It hurt him in a way nothing else had hurt him. What he felt for her was different from what he ever felt for anyone in his entire living. With that came a kind of hurt that was different from when his friends or colleagues get hurt or push him away. A kind of hurt he didn't know what to do with. It hurt. Badly.

Rose didn't even bother to say another word or to turn around. She unlocked his door and just walked out.

When the door slammed shut Kakashi folded his arms and let his head drop onto them.


	7. Chapter 7

Rose untied her hair and with her fingers combed through it. She ignored the pain in her chest that felt like someone was squeezing and stretching out her heart. She could barely take in a full breath, they were coming out in short puffs. But once she had retied her hair into a ponytail, she pinched herself to keep her tears from falling and took deep breaths.

She was going to keep busy all day long and stuff all of these emotions away.

She didn't want to think about how everything had been too good to be true, how for a moment there she felt so lucky that the man she had a gargantuan crush on had reciprocated her feelings. She regretted not speaking up about how hurt she felt, and not inquiring on why he felt the way what they did was a mistake. But then… he said clearly he didn't want to commit to anything. And Rose wanted to commit to him.

Rose would take their shared night and every moment from when they spoke at the bar up until they both fell asleep close to her heart. Even those moments right before he said those crushing words.

Rose did not want to make a fool of herself by trying to figure out if there was a way they could be together. It was better that she had left like that. Or else she would have cried, right there in front of him- and then she would have really been angry at herself.

Rose pulled down her dress as far as it could go without showing the world her breasts and started making her way down his apartment complex.

"Rose?"

Rose stumbled down the last step of the second-floor staircase at the sound of her name. She looked up and saw Sakura, and behind her two of the three men she called her closest friends. Naruto was a blue-eyed storm that could be heard miles away because of his loud way of speaking. Sai was a quiet man who was still learning the ropes of how to genuinely express himself. There was another raven-haired man, Sasuke, but it seemed whenever Sasuke was present Sai was not and vice versa. Rose got the feeling the two men did not like each other. After all one could say they were each other's replacement. Sakura and Naruto seemed oblivious to their animosity for each other.

"Sakura!" Rose was stuck between a feeling of pleasantness of seeing her good friend, and nervousness that she was coming down from the third floor where Kakashi's apartment was located. Sakura knew the two of them were friendly. She also had a good idea of how Rose felt about Kakashi.

"Rose San." Sai greeted politely.

"Hey Rose!" Naruto moved to throw an arm around her shoulders. He never had a sense of personal space from the moment Rose met him, but she never minded the physical affection. Rose had grown up with the same habit, as her family's way of showing friendliness was the same as Naruto's. She welcomed the gesture and slipped her arm around his waist, giving it a squeeze to show her affection for him. "Hi Naruto."

When Naruto let go, it was Sai's turn to slip an arm around her. Sai had found Rose to be weird, as he had said as much. He had never encountered a second person who enjoyed physical touch like Naruto. Rose had explained to him that there were many different ways people interacted with each other and showed their friendliness. Sai took to learning how to show his friendliness in the same way Rose did, with quick hugs or pats on the back. "Hey Sai."

Rose leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment before he slipped away.

Lastly Sakura came up, who preferred a fist bump to hugging. Since the moment they became friends when Rose started working for the Hokage she had only managed to receive one hug from Sakura. And that was because Sakura was drunk.

"Were you visiting Kakashi Sensei?"

Rose bit her bottom lip. She didn't want to admit anything, hoping her friend would let it go. She moved her purse to cover some of her exposed thighs. Sakura had always teased Rose that Kakashi liked her after he had complimented her- Rose always pretended to be annoyed.

Sakura looked at the girl closely. Rose never wore makeup, but she had on a dress that was clearly not meant to be worn on a regular day. And Rose never wore dresses, plus she had seen Sakura yesterday before her pathetic date... "Didn't I see you in this dress yesterday night?"

A moment later Sakura's mouth fell open, and Rose knew she put the pieces together. There weren't many anyway and with Sakura being as intelligent as she was of course she would figure it out. Rose quickly pressed her fingers under Sakura's chin to close it, pressing a finger softly against her lips. "You're dress is wrinkled..." Sakura said, her tone somewhere between disbelief and amazement. "Did you...?"

Rose crossed her arms over herself and stayed shut.

"What what what!?" Naruto asked impatiently. Sai stared at the exchange.

"Rose San is embarrassed." Sai explained.

"That tells me nothing, Sai." Naruto complained.

Rose pouted. "I should get going. I have things I need to do." This was a lie, today was her day off from work. Sakura knew this.

O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O

Sakura had shoved Naruto and Sai towards Kakashi's place, and like the great friend she was had forced Naruto's sweater off him and draped it over Rose's shoulder. Rose was closer to Naruto's height than Sakura's, so his sweater basically fit her the same way it fit Naruto. But it was nice to have something cover most of her anyways. The sweater smelled a lot like grass and ramen. The most oddest combination of scents.

"I can't believe you and Sensei..." Sakura shook her head. "And all those times I teased you about him, I was right all along! You like the old man!"

Rose shrugged. She never was one who enjoyed spending time on the topic of men. Whenever Sakura and Ino spoke about the boys they've dated and all the wrong and right they do, Rose always fell quiet. That and she only ever had one real relationship, which she hated talking about.

"He's not so old..." Rose had the urge to say.

Sakura placed her hands on her hips. "Hm. He's in his early thirties. And you're older than Sasuke by only a month. I say that's a pretty nice gap."

Rose frowned.

"I'm not judging Rose!" Sakura was quick to say. She smiled when Rose pouted some more. "To you he is pretty young, because you're a civilian. But to us ninja, Kakashi is very fortunate to even make it to his age. He's old by shinobi standards. My point is I'm happy he's found someone."

What Sakura was saying was only making Rose feel more terrible. She was right, civilians lived well over seventy years old. The average life span of shinobi was fifty. Forty if you went back a few years to when the world was pretty much falling apart. So why was he pushing her away? If Kakashi wasn't ready for commitment at this point would that mean he would forever be alone? Shouldn't he learn to truly appreciate the small things because of how short a shinobi's life was? Couldn't he push past whatever was stopping him so that he could at least experience what life had to offer before... his life was gone? Or did he just not want Rose? Did he really feel last night was a mistake? He didn't like her. That's probably what it was. Rose sighed heavily, feeling her throat start to close and her eyes start to sting.

"But... Rose you seem off. Usually you're all smiley. Did Kakashi do something wrong?" Sakura quickly fisted her left hand and glared. In a quick second she went from her calm friend to a fierce protector. "Just tell me I'll pummel him!" Sakura slammed her fist into her right hand. She looked about ready to tear the building down.

"No no! I'm actually just tired, Sakura." And Rose was. She didn't think her heart could take any more heartache. Rose took Sakura's fist and uncurled it. She rubbed her palm over the back of Sakura's hand. "I'll see you around. Thank you for Naruto's sweater." She said with a quick chuckle, but it was clear she wasn't in a chuckling mood.

Sakura nodded, seeming to understand that this was all she was going to get out of Rose. Rose bid her goodbye and started her walk home.


	8. Chapter 8

Kei slammed the frying pan down on the stove, causing Rose to squeak and jump in shock.

Rose had walked in half an hour ago while Kei was in the middle of watching television, quietly going through the motions of showering, cleaning up, and preparing breakfast. Except Rose was a lazy cleaner and had gave up after picking up a few things from the floor moving into making something to eat. But Rose was also a lazy cook so Kei had taken over after watching all of Rose's pathetic-ness from her seat on the couch.

"Rose, I'm going to hurt you."

Kei was clearly not in a great mood. And the reason for it was because Rose was refusing to speak about her feelings. She was great at seeming like she was an open book, but truthfully Rose held back so much of herself. And Kei knew this. Which is why she also knew her cousin was hurting but was refusing to acknowledge her own emotions, probably stuffing it away so she wouldn't have to deal with it.

"You're being silly." Rose argued.

"No. You're being stubborn. And stupid. Just tell me why you looked so sad. It's annoying that you're always there for me but you never tell me about the shit you go through."

Kei shut off the stove, the meat only half way cooked, then turned around to face Rose. Her cousin had come in wearing some orange sweater that clearly didn't belong to the one-eyed man Rose left with. It also wasn't hard to figure the man was this Kakashi Rose was crushing hard on. Who else hid an eye and had a shock of gray hair? So, for Rose to come back with a slouch to her shoulders and a frown on her lips when she should have been floating on clouds told Kei that something wrong happened.

And as always Rose was refusing to deal with it or talk about it, preferring to pretend nothing happened. An unhealthy habit Kei tried to get rid of. But Rose was such a difficult person.

"It's not easy." Rose snapped. Finally. Some emotion. Even if it was irritation- it was better than her fake pleasantness.

"But it's me. I would never judge you."

Rose's face pinched in frustration. "I can't. I..." Rose shrugged and started folding the orange sweater she brought back out from her room. "It's not easy."

"It just pains me that you'd rather hide your feelings than open up about them. Even with me." Kei shook her head in disappointment, and turned back around to finish cooking.

She heard Rose sigh heavily before walking back into her room.

O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O

Kakashi spent the next few days watching Rose from afar.

It was like nothing had ever happened. Rose wasn't in any way sad or showing that something was bothering her.

Today Rose had caught him slipping out of the Hokage's office - where he was visiting more frequently lately. When their gazes fell on one another's she didn't miss a beat and waved at him with a smile.

Kakashi didn't know if he should feel relieved or bothered. He stepped over to her desk, and gave her a little wave in return.

"Morning."

"Morning," Rose smiled brightly at him. He saw her hand twitch, but she didn't move it to touch his arm in greeting like she usually did.

Kakashi was stuck. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what he was thinking, that when they would see each other again she would ignore him and he would walk away like a rejected puppy when she did? It was what he expected. He should've known Rose wouldn't do that sort of thing.

"You're here a lot." Rose noted, setting down her pen. Kakashi caught a glimpse of the papers on her desk. It looked like an alien language made up of numbers and random words, but he knew Rose's job had to do with the finances of the village. Rose seemed to love working with numbers, as Kakashi knew she also dealt with the finances of a few business' including Ino's flower shop.

"Yes, Tsunade has been quite annoying."

Rose's smile became soft with sympathy and humor. It was a sight so beautiful Kakashi felt his chest constrict uncomfortably. Why did no one tell him that liking someone felt almost the same as your heart being squeezed?

Rose leaned against her desk a bit, to rest her head on a fist. This caused her shirt that folded over like a kimono to gape a little, rewarding Kakashi a glimpse of her cleavage. He looked away quickly, remembering perfectly how soft they were.

 _When Kakashi finally dragged Rose's dress up to her waist she sat up so he could get it off, lifting her arms up to make it easier for him. A moment later he tossed it aside. Rose's breasts were gathered tightly against her body. They seemed so deceptively moderate under her loose clothing, but Kakashi could see she tried hard to hide their size. As she went to unhook her brassier from the back Kakashi slipped the straps of them down her arms, kissing her shoulders and neck, which were causing Rose to giggle and shy away because she was extremely ticklish._

 _Kakashi had the moment memorized like the pervert he was. The way her breasts spilled forward the second they were free from their restraints. Kakashi had leaned back, wanting to see Rose. She only had her underwear on, simple and black. Kakashi took a mental picture of her. She was a sex goddess. Her soft, curvaceous body and sweet face. Rose looked away in embarrassment, but she took one of Kakashi's hands and placed it underneath her chest. Kakashi obeyed and tried to fit both her breasts in each of his hands, but they spilled between in fingers._

 _He kissed Rose soundly. Her lips parted and Kakashi felt her tongue pressed against his own, eliciting a moan from him that she could even do something so erotic. She wrapped her arms around his neck and when he softly rolled one of her nipples between his fingertips mewled against his mouth. The sound of it made Kakashi dizzy with want._

 _He needed to find out what other sounds she could make- he wanted to make sure she felt as much pleasure as he did- if not more. Kakashi shifted and groaned quietly when he felt a certain part of himself straining uncomfortably against his pants. He felt one of Rose's hand slip down over his arm and chest, down to his-_

"Where is Kakashi?!" Kakashi jumped out of his daydream in surprise at the sudden angry voice of the Hokage. Rose was staring curiously at him despite her own little jump. Kakashi could feel how hot and flushed his skin was getting under his mask. He felt his lower stomach tighten in arousal at the recollection of their shared night.

"That's my cue." He said coolly before he vanished in a cloud of smoke.

O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O

A/N: up to here the story has been revised. Not much has changed.


	9. Chapter 9

When Kakashi disappeared Rose collapsed into herself, dropping her arms onto the table and her head atop them.

For the last couple of days, the thought of Kakashi had been following her around. Before she went to bed she thought of him; whenever she woke up, it would take a few minutes, but the moment she got her bearings he was there. She couldn't stop thinking about him after what had happened between them. The only escape she got from him was her work, as it took all her attention to draft receipts and new budgets.

Just when it was becoming easy to push the thought of him away, and with it all the confusing emotions, he shows up.

Of course, he shows up.

Kakashi had been coming to the Hokage's office more and more frequently, since a few months ago. At the time Rose secretly thanked whatever it was that was bringing him in, as it always brightened her day when she got to see him. Even if for a moment.

But now…

Rose groaned and kicked her legs around childishly.

A chuckle caught her attention and Rose peeked up to see Tsunade's assistant laughing behind her hand. Rose smiled sheepishly at her and sat back up.

"You guys looked so awkward." She said, looking sympathetically at Rose. "Aren't you guys close friends?"

Rose pouted and shrugged. "It wasn't awkward…"

"It really was. You guys were just… staring at each other."

"Shizune!"

Rose watched the assistant, Shizune, jump. She sighed and rolled her eyes, getting up from her seat to go tend to Tsunade. Although Shizune complained often about Konoha's leader, Rose could see that she cared very much for her. She heard that Tsunade had adopted her like a daughter- except it was very clear Shizune was the one who took care of the older lady, not the other way around.

"Where is that one-eyed asshole?!"

"Language!" Shizune chastised.

Rose watched the two and sighed, looking past them at nothing. She was going to distance herself from Kakashi. Before he uncapped her tightly shut bottle of emotions. Rose didn't even want to think about how pathetic she would look crying in front of him when he obviously only ever wanted a one-night stand. She was over it. Whatever. There were plenty of guys out there and plenty of people to befriend, she didn't need Kakashi in her life. Forget him!

…

Rose groaned. She had a one-night stand with the guy she liked! She didn't want it to be a one-night stand! Now things were awkward, and all she could think of was whether Kakashi thought of her as just another… one-night stand. How could she get their friendship back? They couldn't. She couldn't imagine things going back to the way they were after what they did. It just couldn't. Maybe Kakashi was fine with it, but it was really bothering Rose. Knowing they had sex and yet they weren't romantic or dating hurt but trying to act like it hadn't happen whenever Kakashi was around was hard. It was all she could about, making her tense, embarrassed, and confused. All at once!

"Rose!" Rose jerked in surprise, and then rushed to get up and over to Tsunade.


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey Rose."

It was a cool night and Kakashi had been out on a stroll. He had just finished eating with his old students and Sai. While Naruto was putting a dent in his wallet, Sakura was giving him the stink eyes while Sasuke and Sai gave each other the stink eye. Clearly Sakura had some clue about him and Rose and didn't like the lack of romance.

Afterwards Kakashi decided on a lazy walk. It was on his home from that walk that he found Rose eating alone at a cafe. He had spent a few minutes staring at her. She was pouting to herself with her head leaning on one hand, the other playing with her food. Occasionally she would kick her feet childishly as she ate. Her hair was braided again, but her hair was neat and tamed, so he figured she had done it a few hours ago.

Kakashi made up his made to go and join her for lunch, they he usually did if he ever found her out. Sure, it was a little weird between them. But time would help to make it better and eventually things would be back to the day it always was. But that couldn't happen if he stopped treating her like his friend in the process.

Kakashi approached her table and greeted her pleasantly.

When Rose looked up he watched her expression go from passive to panicked to worried to cool in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, hey." Well, that was unenthusiastic.

"What are you doing?"

Rose looked at him like he had asked a stupid question. It _was_ a stupid question. Clearly Rose was eating, sitting in a booth on her own enjoying a dish. Kakashi was annoyed that after that night, their night together, when it came to Rose he seemed to just speak out of his ass. So much for being the famous Copy-Nin of Konoha. And her friend. It was never this difficult speaking to her. But what surprised Kakashi was how Rose handled the question. She had never showed such an unkind expression. It was as amusing as it was hurtful.

He understood she was likely not happy about what went on between them. But in time she would forget about it, she would see it as an alcohol-induced-late-night mistake between friends and find someone worthy. Or, rather, someone better than Kakashi. He doubted there was anyone worthy of her.

"Eating…"

"Clearly." Kakashi said amusedly, admitting his mistake.

"Clearly…" She muttered.

"Mind if I join?" Usually when Rose found Kakashi eating or Kakashi found Rose eating they would keep each other company until the end of their meal and sometimes spend time together after. The last time it happened was on the day of Obito's death anniversary. Kakashi was digging himself a self-deprecating hole. But Rose had appeared, instantly making him feel better. They had taken a walk and Kakashi was hoping they could talk and have one today. He was missing his friend. It was nice speaking to someone whose point of view was so different, being a civilian. She was more optimistic than all his fellow shinobi, and sometimes a little optimism didn't hurt. Rose was someone who brought into his life a lightness that he almost forgot could exist in it. Perhaps this was his selfish reason for wanting Rose to stay his friend. But anything more and Kakashi was sure his life would take out her light.

"Actually, I'm leaving soon. Now, actually."

Kakashi blinked. Rose pushed her plate away and stood up. Kakashi had not expected this kind of response.

Rose dug into the pockets of her linen pants, dropped the appropriate amount of money on the counter for her meal, and with an awkward wave and half-hearted smile she left. The whole time Kakashi was quiet, having been shocked into silence by her answer and new demeanor, and watched her go.

He ruined everything.

~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~

The next time Kakashi saw Rose he was walking into the Hokage's office. Usually he walked soundlessly, but having seen Rose in that morning his steps became heavy, drawing her attention away from her work. He wanted to see her smile and wave at him, but instead when she saw him she looked right back down, almost glaring at the papers on her desk. She pretended she hadn't seen him at all. The closer Kakashi approached the closer she bent her head towards the desk.

Kakashi had made it and managed to get out exactly one word when suddenly a pair of hands shoved him past her desk and towards the Hokage's office.

"Come on Kakashi Sensei! There's no sneaking out today!" Sakura. Kakashi caught Rose giving Sakura a grateful look right before he was pushed into the office.

And sure enough, every time he tried to disappear while Tsunade rattled on and on about the responsibilities of the Hokage Sakura was there to yank him back in by the collar using her scary monster strength. Although Kakashi could have put up a better fight, they were in Tsunade's office and Kakashi had _some_ decency. While Sakura had claimed that she was there to visit Tsunade and talk about some antidote she created for something Kakashi already forgot about, it was like she was there really to keep him away from Rose.

When Tsunade finally dismissed him, Rose was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

Rose ran her hands down her body. She turned her body left, then right. She ran her hands up to her breasts. They were pressed uncomfortably tight to her body today, as she had grabbed a bra hastily in the morning and had been too lazy to change into a new one.

Rose hiked the tight silk dress around her hips and groaned.

"What now?" Kei complained.

The pair had been shopping for hours now, and Kei was getting tired. From morning till now, midafternoon, they had been in Konoha's shopping district. And while Kei was excited to shop, Rose was making the experience unenjoyably long and torturous. But she was keeping her composure because she knew Rose only went on crazy shopping sprees when she wanted to make herself feel better. So clearly Rose's heart was an absolute mess if the shopping bags by Kei's feet was anything to go by.

"I don't know. I don't know. I don't know!" Rose whined. A moment later there were sounds of shuffling and then Rose emerged with a pink silk dress in her hands. "I'm getting it." She decided. Kei caught a glimpse of the price tag and almost went into shock.

She knew Rose was being paid beautifully as one of the most important people on Tsunade's payroll, after all, it must be insane going into work knowing you had to keep all Konoha somewhat financially stable. She just didn't know it paid so well that Rose was able to spend what Kei made in a month without blinking an eye.

"A-are you sure? I don't think such a luxurious place even allows refunds-"

"They don't." Kei gaped at Rose. "I come here a lot. That reminds me, I need a new bra because the one I have on is practically cutting my airflow."

That explained Rose's crazy collection of lingerie.

Kei looked around the luxury shop, wondering exactly how much Rose had invested in her private wardrobe. "Do you buy them to go on dates? Or just to-"

Rose made a face like she ate something sour. "I buy it for myself, I never even wore lingerie for- you know who." Kei stared at the silk dress in Rose's hand. Basically, this dress was just another addition to Rose's crazy collection of expensive items. Like her green silk dress from a few weeks ago. Kei had wondered where Rose had the time to shop. But it seems it was just something she had laying around.

"Why do we not live in a house?" Kei questioned. Rose laughed at Kei.

"I wanted to move in with you! I didn't even consider moving to Konoha until I knew you were here. I hate being alone."

Kei smiled and grabbed Rose's hand to give it a squeeze. "I love you, Rosie."

Rose grinned and tugged Kei up to stand. "I do, too. Now, let's go pick something out for you, too!"

"Wait-whoa.. actually-" But Rose had handed the silk dress and shopping bags to an employee and began dragging Kei over to the skimpier lingerie section.

~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~

Kei looked at the small shopping bag with a mixture of fear and curiosity. Rose watched in amusement as she continued to peek inside at her new bras.

"At least I let you buy something you're comfortable with."

Kei grimaced. "Gosh, I will never find an occasion to wear this, Rosie."

"Uhm, tomorrow?"

Kei looked at Rose questionably. "What's tomorrow?"

Rose shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Kei, you don't need a special occasion to wear something nice. Wear it when you want to, anytime. I do."

Kei glanced down at Kei's breasts and then down to her hips. "So… right now?"

Rose giggled, "No, not today. I grabbed whatever this morning. Big mistake." Rose pulled on her bra through her shirt. Kei smiled and shook her head.

"Yeah, and then bought five new ones. I didn't know my cousin was such a lingerie collector."

Rose laughed, "You make it sound weird like that. I just like it. And I enjoy wearing beautiful pieces. Next time we shop I'll definitely get you to buy a teddy."

"A what?"

Rose smirked, and then laughed when Kei's smile dropped. "Trust me, I might just have to wrestle you into one."

Kei opened her mouth to say something but shut it quickly when she glanced behind Rose's back. Rose turned her head to look at what could have caused that kind of reaction, and then her mood dropped six feet underground.

Rose looked away and started walking, Kei following close behind. They didn't make it far. Suddenly Kakashi was there in front of her, spooking Rose enough that she squealed and stomped on his foot in her attempt to stop herself from crashing into him.

Kakashi grunted, taking a step back and bending down to rub his hurting foot.

"Oh! Sorry!" Rose bent down, reaching for his foot but then realized it was a stupid thing to do and straightened back up. What was she going to do, rub his foot better? Rose turned to Kei, who gave Rose an apologetic look then proceeded to run away. Rose glared at Kei's back.

"Well, that's one way to get my attention." Rose turned around at Kakashi, who had stood up straight. He was watching Kei try to run with all the shopping bags in her hands. He looked to the bags Rose was holding, then up at the shop she hadn't managed to walk far enough away from. Kakashi raised the brow above his good eye, and Rose hid the bags behind her back with a blushing face.

"I wasn't trying to get-"

"Clearly, as you've been avoiding me."

Rose grimaced, but also pursed her lips in distaste. He didn't need to interrupt her sentence. And it's not like she had been obvious about keeping her distance from Kakashi. Or had she?

"I haven't been- "

"No need to lie, Rose."

Rose huffed and glared at Kakashi. Rose desperately tried to find words but didn't know what to say. She _had_ been trying to avoid him. It was getting hard being near him and pretending she was fine. She usually was very good at pretending her darker, hurting emotions didn't exist. Not this time. Every time she had seen Kakashi, those feelings escaped a little more each time.

"Can I speak?" She decided to say instead.

Kakashi was shocked into silence at her tone of voice. He recovered quickly, though. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

Rose bit on her finger. Should she tell him how she really feels? Should she keep quiet? What would telling him do? It wouldn't change his mind, he made it clear he didn't want to be in any kind of romantic relationship with her. And even if he did, she would spend the entirety of the relationship always wondering if he was quietly suffering for her sake. He just wanted to be friends, but Rose didn't think she could do it.

"No reason."

"Rose." The impatience and frustration in his voice made her look up at him. His one eye was filled with anger and confusion. His arms were crossed over his chest, his stance told her that he didn't believe anything coming out of her mouth.

Rose just stared at him. He was so… far. All she wanted was to hug him. Hold him. Maybe what she felt wasn't just a silly crush. Or else it wouldn't hurt so much knowing she couldn't have him in the way she wanted. Exclusively, all to herself. She wanted to turn back time, because then she would have done that night all over again. She would have stayed at the bar with Kei, going home with her afterwards. Then Kakashi and her could still be friends, having lunch occasionally without the tense and awkward feelings. Now their friendship was gone. And Rose really missed her friend. But she got into bed with him. She wished it didn't affect her so much, but it did. How was it not affecting him? Did he fuck the women he went on missions with and the next day they acted like nothing happened? That was what he thought would happen with her, didn't he?

Rose didn't realize tears had started welling up, but when she blinked they fell.

Now she was crying in front of Kakashi. Great.

"Rose…"

"You know, I didn't want to have-" Rose looked around shyly. "You know what- with you."

Kakashi looked around at the semi busy street. He reached out to gently push Rose towards the sides of the streets where no many tended to stroll on. Rose avoided his touch but understood what he wanted to do and lead the way. Kakashi followed after letting his arm drop dramatically back to his side.

"Okay, then… why did you not say anything?"

Rose sighed. "I…. did want to, Kakashi." Rose's voice became small and unsure because of the topic they were discussing. "Just… not as a one-night stand."

He was silent for a moment, then, "I just don't want to hurt you."

Rose was standing on the side of Kakashi's good eye, so she was able to see him glance at her quickly before looking straight ahead again.

"Hurt me?"

"I'm old, cranky. I'm at the cemetery at least once a week. I live a dangerous lifestyle. Being with me, only means trouble for you. The people who get to close… You don't see it because you're a civilian, Rose. You have a good, safe life. I have a bounty on my head. That should tell you I'm trouble."

Rose shook her head and sighed. "It's just so hard to believe that there could be any reason that's not you're disinterest in me."

Kakashi stopped walking and turned sharply to face Rose.

"If I didn't want you why would I have slept with you?"

Rose glared at Kakashi, whose voice had taken on an angry tone.

"Because you were drunk? You wanted to get laid? And I happened to be there, a familiar face."

"That is not why, Rose. I do, really do-"

"Whatever you're going to say don't say it. You don't want me because you won't even give me a chance. There's a difference between having sex with someone and being in a relationship with someone. You having sex with me doesn't mean you like me. I just want you to admit it."

"It's more complicated than that. It doesn't have to be black and white. There's some gray, too."

"I can't deal with gray. I just like you so much, Kakashi. It must be one or the other, for my sanity's sake. But I don't want to force you to be in something you have no interest in being. I want a definite answer, so I can move on. Because I'm just really confused."

By now Rose and Kakashi had turned into a quieter street. So, Rose was able to pick up on Kakashi's confused and frustrated tone of voice.

"What is confusing? Fine, we had sex. It was a mistake, because you and I are better as friends than anything else. Now we move on and forget about it. I don't want to lose you over a mistake."

Rose bit her bottom lip hard to keep herself from crying. _A mistake_. How embarrassing…

"You keep making these excuses about why you can't be with me but then you keep trying to be my friend. So you want me but don't want me? I'm not like that. I got attached, way too quickly, yes I know. I'm that kind of girl."

"If I knew you wanted a relationship I wouldn't have..." Kakashi scratched the back of his head.

Rose fisted her hands and tried not to swing her shopping bag at his face. "I knew you thought it was a mistake. You should have never kissed me, you ass. No matter how drunk you were."

"You shouldn't have kissed me back." Kakashi childishly shot back.

"Well I like you, you dumbass. Of course, I kissed you back. I thought you did, too!"

"I do."

"Oh my God!" Rose made a sound between a growl and grunt. "You are confusing me!"

"What is confusing? I want your friendship. I don't want anything else." Kakashi said, his voice hardening and his hands fisting in frustration.

Rose stopped walking, Kakashi stopped a few steps ahead of her. He turned back and saw that Rose's face was as calm as ever, which almost spooked him. Her ability to pull on a cool face despite emotions running high was both something to be valued as a shinobi but also something to be worried about. "You are an asshole." She said, her voice betraying her cool composure with its shaking. Kakashi opened his mouth to say something but Rose turned and started walking away.

Kakashi glowered at her retreating form for a moment before making his way to home.


	12. Chapter 12

Kei placed the glass of water slowly and carefully in front of Rose, who was sitting at the end of the bar writing furiously and quickly all over her work papers. It had been a week since she last saw Kakashi, and she was still feeling as angry and upset as she had that day. Kei was careful to not speak about it, because the last time she did Rose started going on a rant about how stupid he was which led to a rant on how men typically are, which led to several rants about issues with society and Kei was not here for that. Not again. Ever.

"How's it looking? We make any good money this month?"

Rose paused her writing and looked over her papers quietly for a moment. "You guys did really great this month. The revenue was nearly twice than last month's revenue, it mostly came from the increase in traffic. It must've been a busy month."

"It definitely was, the weather is getting a little cooler, so people actually want to go out now."

"Hm."

The door to the bar opened, Kei straightened up to shoo the customer out as it was still a few hours before the store opened its doors. Rose reached for her glass of water as the customer spoke,

"Hey, how are you Kei! Is that Rose?"

Rose flinched at the voice, which caused her to knock over her water. She gasped and shoved her seat back. Kei grabbed the glass and Rose grabbed a bunch of paper towels. In a few moments the mess was gone, but something else was a mess. Rose's brain, her heart, her thoughts. She turned around and saw him. She could recognize his voice anytime. No matter that it had been a year and a half since she last heard it.

"Rose!"

"Yuuto.."

Rose smiled at the man, who she had not seen. Kei was stuck in her spot behind the counter, and at that moment Reo, everyone's favorite flirty bartender, strolled out from the back. He had been looking down at a memo when he spoke, not realizing who had just entered.

"Hey guys I forgot to tell you I got a call from Yu- oh…" Reo smiled awkwardly and turned right back around and sped away to hide. Kei thanked the Gods of the world that she was behind the counter. She turned around and sped right after Reo.

There was a beat of silence where Rose stared down at the floor unsure how to proceed. When she glanced up Yuuto was putting his bags atop the counter, but his gaze never left Rose. When they made eye contact Yuuko grinned. There was another awkward beat and then Rose began putting away her documents. She would tell him she has work to do, she'll tell him that hopefully she'll see him around. She will then completely avoid him at all costs.

"How have you been?"

Rose tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ears and shrugged. "Good. I work for the Hokage now."

"That's amazing!" Yuuto's voice was brimming with happiness for her, and Rose had to pinch herself because her hands had started to shake at the sound of it.

"Th-thanks. And you? How has business been?"

Yuuto had left to open a second bar in Suna. Gaara, the leader of Suna, had come to him personally. He wanted to create places where everyone could gather, as there were very few places in Suna where people could come together and have a nice time if it wasn't a park or restaurant. Rose hadn't wanted to follow him, but she was prepared to have a long-distance relationship. Yuuto had broken up with her the day before he left.

If Rose was perfectly honest, she knew he had taken the opportunity of going to Suna to finally break up with her. The last few weeks of their relationship hadn't been the best, he was less talkative, and they had started spending less time together. A few times Rose would catch him speaking to some of the female customers whenever she would visit him at this bar. And it wasn't the kind of talking that she would have been okay with. He was clearly flirting and acting like he wasn't in a relationship. Rose didn't want to suspect him of cheating on her, but if she found out he did she wouldn't be surprised.

It still angered her that everything happened so abruptly.

He had left a _letter_ for her, saying he wanted to break up, but hadn't explained why. He had left the letter with Reo, and Rose remembered trying so hard not to cry at how impersonal he made his leaving to be. Like they hadn't spent a year together, or moved to Konoha together with his dream of starting a business after receiving her offer to come to Konoha to work for Tsunade. Yuuto had been lucky to receive this bar from some retiring old man, and in six short months he made it successful. The success seemed to have gotten into his head, and Rose was sure he would remember who was there for him from the beginning.

"Great! Business is booming. Not surprised as it is the only bar in Suna. I'm thinking about opening a new bar. Maybe on the other side, so some of my regular customers don't have to commute so far."

Rose slipped her bag onto her shoulders, "That's thoughtful of you."

Yuuto smiled at the compliment. He shrugged like it was no big deal.

Rose gave him a quick once over glance. His brown hair had grown past his ears, and his skin had tanned. He seemed to have gained some weight, whether it be muscle or fat she didn't know as he had a sweater over his body. But he seemed to fill his clothes better. He was handsome, but he had returned having replaced his boyish charm with a new wave of manly attractiveness.

Yuuto caught her glance and smirked. "I look different, right? I had to do a lot of hands on work in building the bar, but now I work on my body regularly." Yuuto's smile changed into a softer one, "I see you did, too." Rose watched his gaze travel the length of her body. Rose wanted to hide behind something. His gaze lingered everywhere. Her face, waist, hips, legs, breasts. "You cut your hair!"

Rose smiled tightly, "Mhmm. I did."

"You seem older with your haircut." His gaze slipped down to her breasts again and then he turned to rummage into his bag. "You've gotten very beautiful. You were pretty before!" Yuuto said, hastily. Rose smiled and nodded.

"Thanks." Rose had been heavier during her relationship with Yuuto. She was always a heavy girl, she had been classified as overweight by her doctors. It was after Yuuto's leaving that Rose had gone down a path of self-hate. She remembered only thinking about how Yuuto would flirt with the prettiest and smallest of girls at the bar.

Rose spent six months mistreating her body and trying to eat as little as possible only to eat as much as possible a few days after. It was a constant back and forth between those two diets. Until she met Sakura and Kakashi. In the first month of knowing them Sakura helped her find confidence by rejecting the opinions of others. Kakashi may have called her pretty when they first met, but he had reminded her that she was beautiful whether she was thinner one day or thicker the next. The most beautiful thing was a healthy body in any shape, size or form.

Rose remembered how angry Kakashi had been when Rose refused to eat the rest of her meal because she had already "-had breakfast." Kakashi's anger was intense but quiet. He told her Sakura had once also suffered extremely low self-esteem issues. He didn't want someone he cared about to become sick in their attempt to become beautiful. Kakashi taught Rose how to take care of the body that functioned and did amazing things for her every day, like fighting off germs and waking her up every day. It didn't matter how it looked, it mattered you took care of it, so it could continue to do those amazing things.

It was one of the first moments Rose saw a glimpse of who Kakashi really was under his cool facade. It was also the first time Kakashi had come to interrupt her meal and join her. Rose had a small suspicious he only kept doing so afterwards to make sure she always finished her meal before paying. And eventually he just started doing it for the sake of sitting with a friend. It became a thing quickly to always jump into whatever activity the other was doing whether it be eating or reading or strolling. Rose remembered the last time Kakashi tried to join her during one of meals and she completely brushed him and all but ran from him.

"I'm heading out. I have work elsewhere. It was really nice to catch up. I'll see you around." Rose began making her way out of the bar, but Yuuto yanked something out of his bag and then followed her.

Rose pushed the bar doors open but Yuuko trapped her against the door by placing a hand against it in front of her. Rose pressed herself against the door, blinking against the sunlight as Yuuto moved to stand in front of her. He kept his hand against the door, and Rose was uncomfortable with the distance between them. She wanted more space in-between.

"Wait. I want to hand out. I was a real dick about leaving last year. Kei practically verbally assaulted me when she managed to make a call to me. I handled everything so wrong." Rose avoided making eye contact with Yuuto, with this proximity it would feel too intimate. "I hoped you were still here because I brought an apology."

Yuuto finally straightened, and Rose relaxed at finally having her little bubble of space back. Yuuto held up a hand and presented a wooden rose to her. Rose's heart squeezed at the sentiment. "I made tens of these and finally made one that didn't look like a pile of shit." Rose chuckled. She accepted the gift, gently picking it up from his open palm.

"Thanks, I appreciate the gift."

"I'm sorry, Rosie. I did love you. But I think it wasn't our time. Maybe-"

Rose placed a hand on Yuuto's shoulder, cutting off his sentence at the sudden touch. "Thanks so much for the rose. It's adorable. I really must get going. I'll see you around, Yuuto."

~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~O ~

Rose stared at the wooden rose. Yuuto was crazy. What in the world was he about to say? Rose didn't even want to think about. Maybe he just wanted to be friends. Rose could do that. She could be friends with him, again. It would be like old times.

Rose approached Ichiraku Ramen, noticing four familiar pairs of legs. Rose's smile was automatic.

"Hey guys!" Rose watched all of team 7 look at her. Sasuke sat the farthest from Rose, Naruto besides him, Sakura next, and Sai, who was the closest to Rose, stood up abruptly and proceeded to hug her. Rose grinned and hugged him back.

"Rose San, it's been a while. Last I saw you, you were dressed in a very provocative dress-"

"Sai, shut up!" Sakura groaned.

"Dumbass," Sasuke had muttered, although it was loud enough that Sai turned around to stare at him dead in the eyes. Rose looked to Sakura and Naruto, but it was like they weren't seeing the hate transmitting between Sai and Sasuke. Rose pushed Sai down back into his seat by the shoulders.

Rose waved at the everyone else. Sakura got up and approached her while Naruto waved back enthusiastically and Sasuke nodded. Rose was about to sit but Sakura slipped her arms around Rose's shoulders and dragged her out of the booth and around the side of it away from all the ears. The pink hair Kunoichi crossed her arms and stared at Rose, expectantly. Rose knew Sakura wanted an update on just about everything having to do with Kakashi, but she smiled and looked at Sakura with feigned curiosity. Sakura didn't budge.

"So… how have you been? I haven't seen you since-"

"I practically dragged Kakashi away from you? I have never seen you look so panicked in front of him. What happened?"

Rose frowned and shrugged. "Nothing. There's nothing there."

"Wait, so, you guys didn't talk about?"

"We did… a week ago. It was bad. I yelled."

"Kakashi Sensei yelled at you?"

"No, he was calm. Like always." Rose held her wooden gift tighter in her hands. "It's whatever, between us."

"You guys were like best friends." Sakura pouted. She wrapped her arms around Rose's shoulders and pressed her against her body. Due to the height difference Rose had to bend down a little, but she appreciated Sakura going out of her comfort zone to comfort her and returned the hug.

Rose sighed when they pulled away from each other. "I just want to eat something, go home and rest. I have work tomorrow and it's about that time of the month where Tsunade's goes a little nuts on her spending."

"That lady needs to appreciate you." Sakura said, and Rose smiled. It was a tired smile, but Sakura took what she could get.

"Come on, lets order you some ramen. With shrimp!"

"You're after my heart, Sakura." Rose joked. The pinkette laughed. The two entered the booth again, but this time the seat next to Sai was occupied. Rose stopped so abruptly that her shoes made a loud cuffing sound against the floor.

Kakashi turned around. There was a beat of silence of everyone just staring at Rose and Kakashi staring at each other. Until the staring became glaring and suddenly there was an angry and tense vibe in the air. Rose wanted to turn around and run the fuck away. Instead she moved so there was a seat in-between them and placed her order, making sure they knew it was a to-go order.

"Is something wrong?" Sai asked. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Naruto watched interestingly at the two. Sakura worried her bottom lip and watched the two interact.

"Nothing." Rose said.

"Nope." Kakashi said.

The two glared at the each other, offended that they had spoken at the same time. Kakashi noticed the piece of wood in Rose's hand. He stared at it and noticed writing on the bottom. Was that a drawn heart? Without warning Kakashi plucked the item out of Rose's hands and only had a few moments with it before Rose's snatched it back.

"Excuse you." She snapped.

Kakashi had enough time to read the written words on the bottom.

-to Rosie im sorry -Yuuto

Yuuto. Yuuto.. Yuuto…

 _Yuuto!?_

Kakashi's glare was suddenly a thousand times more intense and he went to grab the wooden gift in hopes of burning it up, but Rose shoved it into her bag and moved away from the copy nin. "Yuuto? Isn't that the idiot who-"Kakashi cut himself off, aware of the prying eyes and ears of his teammates, Teuchi, and Ayame. But Sakura caught the name and she ogled Rose's bag where she hid the gift."Sorry? And you forgave him? After what he did? You-"

"I never told him I forgave him. I accepted the gift, is all."

"Accepting it is like accepting his forgiveness. You shouldn't have done that."

"Then let him believe that. I don't care."

"That's a stupid thing to do. I can't believe that idiot is here-"

"Don't judge _my_ decisions. I do what I want."

Rose received her order, she paid Ayame but hadn't bothered to stick around for the change and stormed off. But not without telling Kakashi he was an idiot.

Team 7 gawked at the whole exchange.

* * *

love yourself, unconditionally

love others the same way

* * *

Happy Birthday Naruto ❤ 10/10

"I never go back on my word, that's my ninja way."


End file.
